1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for generating caller ID/caller ID-call waiting (CID/CIDCW) information with a user inputted alphanumeric message.
2. Description of Related Art
CID and CIDCW features are widely used by businesses and residents. Generally, a customer obtains a CID or CIDCW service from his or her phone company. The phone company has a central office that performs switching operations for the customer's phone. With the CID service, whenever a call is placed to the customer's phone, the caller's directory information is automatically displayed on the display attached to or incorporated into the customer's phone. The caller's directory information, i.e., CID information, includes the caller's name and/or phone number. With the CIDCW service, whenever a call is placed to the customer's phone while the customer's phone is being used, a signal, indicating a call waiting, and the CID information are displayed on the customer's phone. The central office provides the CID and CIDCW services in addition to the phone switching operations.
Based on the displayed CID/CIDCW information, a call receiving party can determine whether or not to respond immediately to the in-coming call. If the call receiving party is unable to respond to the in-coming call immediately, the call receiving party has the CID information to return a call at any time thereafter. Often, however, the customer is unable to quickly recognize the caller based on the CID information displayed on his display. Especially in emergencies, the caller places a call using a pay phone or a stranger's phone. In these cases, the call receiving party is unable to make an informed decision as to whether or not to pick up the call or the call waiting. Therefore, the CID and CIDCW features become less effective and less useful when the call receiving party cannot readily recognize the caller based on the CID/CIDCW information being displayed.